Johanna:
Johanna is well known as being a saviour for Victorian surfers when the swell starts dropping. There have been plenty of times that the Bells event organizers have moved the competition southwest around Cape Otway to the pristine environment of Johanna. And the reason they move it down to there is simple – it picks up more swell than virtually anywhere else in Victoria.
Johanna provides powerful beachbreaks in a rural setting. The last couple of kilometers take you right through farmland to the foreshore, and its hard not to bolt out of the car for your first view of the setup. Around four kilometers of majestic beach is broken up by a combination of near-shore and off-shore reefs that provide distinctive sand banks, a must in an area that is buffeted regularly by huge swells.
The waves pack a lot of punch, snapping leashes and boards and creating strong rips that make it suitable only for the experienced surfer. This coast usually picks up a few feet more swell than the Bells area, so if Bells is flat, it can still be up to four feet here, easily justifying the time and petrol expense, particularly if you get it good.